The Storm-Cloud of the Nineteenth Century / Two Lectures delivered at the London Institution, February 4th and 11th, 1884 :: III. THE RECORD OF THE COUNT OF THE KATUNS.

III. THE RECORD OF THE COUNT OF THE KATUNS.

From the Book of Chilan Balam of Chumayel.

The village of Chumayel is about six leagues east of Mani, and within the boundaries of the province anciently ruled by the Xiu family.

The copy of the Book of Chilan Balam which was found there was a redaction made by an Indian, Don Juan Josef Hoil, in 1782. Like all these volumes it is a sort of common place book, in which were copied miscellaneous articles from much older manuscripts. One of these bears the date 1689, but most of them have no date attached. Hoil’s original is, I believe, in the possession of the Canon Crescencio Carrillo y Ancona, of Merida. A fac-simile copy, by the hand of the late Dr. Berendt, is in my possession.

At the close of the volume, ff. 40-44, are found three summaries of the ancient history of Yucatan, which are those I am about to give. They have never been translated from the original, nor published in any form, and they contain details of interest. They are evidently from different sources, and are also different from those previously given.

TEXT.

NotesU kahlay u xocan katunob uchi u chictahal u Chicħeen Ytza uchi lae lay ɔiban ti cab lae uchebal yoheltabal tumen hijmac yolah yohel te ti xocol katun lae.

Notes1.	VI.	Uac ahau uchci u chictahal u chicħeen Ytza.
	IIII.	Can ahau lae.
	II.	Cabil ahau.
	XIII.	Oxlahun ahau tzolci pop.
	XI.	Buluc ahau.
	IX.	Bolon ahau.
	VII.	Uuc ahau.
	V.	Ho ahau.
	III.	Ox ahau.
	I.	Hun ahau.
	XII.	Lahca ahau.
	X.	Lahun ahau; paxci u chicħeen Ytza; uchi oxlahun uuɔ katun cacahi chakanputun ti yotochob u katunil.

2.	VI.	Uac ahau.
	IIII.	Can ahau; chucci u lumil tumenob Chakanputun.
	II.	Cabil ahau.
	XIII.	Oxlahun ahau.
	XI.	Buluc ahau.
	IX.	Bolon ahau.
	VII.	Uuc ahau.
	V.	Ho ahau.
	III.	Ox ahau.
	I.	Hun ahau.
	XII.	Lahca ahau.
	X.	Lahun ahau.
	VIII.	Uaxac ahau; paxci chakan putunob tumenob ah Ytza uinicob ca taliob u tzacle u yotochob tu caten; oxlahun uuɔ u katunil; cahanob chakan putunob tic yotochob; layli u katunil binciob ah Ytzaob yalan che, yalan haban, yalan ak, ti numyaob lae.
3.	VI.	Uac ahau.
	IIII.	Can ahau.
	II.	Cabil ahau.
	XIII.	Oxlahun ahau.
	XI.	Buluc ahau.
	IX.	Bolon ahau.
	VII.	Uuc ahau.
	V.	Ho ahau.
	III.	Ox ahau.
	I.	Hun ahau.
	XII.	Lahca ahau.
	X.	Lahun ahau.
	VIII.	Uaxac ahau; paxci ahYtza uinicob ti yotochob tu caten, tumen u kebanthan hun nac ceel, tumen u uahal uahob y ahYtzmal; oxlahunuuɔ u katunil cahanobi ca paxiob tumen hun nac ceel, tumen a ɔabal u natob ahYtzaob lae.
4.	VI.	Uac ahau.
	IIII.	Can ahau: chucci u luumil ichpaa Mayapan tumen AhYtza uinicob, likulob ti yotoche tumenel ahYtzmalob, tumen u kebanthan - - - -hun nac ceel lae.
Notes5.	II.	Cabil ahau.
	XIII.	Oxlahun ahau.
	XI.	Buluc ahau.
	IX.	Bolon ahau.
	VII.	Uuc ahau,
	V.	Ho ahau.
	III.	Ox ahau.
	I.	Hun ahau.
	XII.	Lahca ahau.
	X.	Lahun ahau.
	VIII.	Uaxac ahau: uchci pucħtun ychpaa Mayapan tumen u pach paa, u pach tulum, tumen multepal ych cah Mayapan lal lae.
Notes6.	VI.	Uac ahau.
	IIII.	Can ahau: uchci mayacimlal; uchci ocnakuchil ych paa.
	II.	Cabil ahau: uchci kakil nohkakile.
Notes7.	XIII.	Oxlahun ahau; cimci Ahpula uacppel haab; u binel u xocol haab ti lakin cuchie; 156-1caanil kan cumlahci pop ti lakin he tunte na cici pahool katun haab; hun hix cip catac oxppeli Bolon ymix hi; u kinil lay cimci Ahpula lae napotxiu tu habil D^o. 158 aÑos.
8.	XI.	Buluc ahau: hulciob kul uinicob ti lakin; u yah talzah; ulob u yaxchun uay lae luumil coon maya uinice tu habil D^o. 1523 aÑos.
	IX.	Bolon ahau: hoppci xpnoil; uchci caputzihil; laytal ychil u katunil hulci obispo tora 157-1ua; xane hauci 157-2huytabe tu habil D^o. 1546 aÑos.
	VII.	Uuc ahau: cimci obispo de Landa.
	V.	Hoo ahau.
	III.	Ox ahau.

TRANSLATION.

NotesThis is the Record of the count of the katuns from when took place the discovery of Chichen Itza; this is written for the town in order that it may be known by whoever wishes to know as to the counting of the katuns.

Notes1.	VI.	In the sixth ahau took place the discovery of Chichen Itza.
	IIII.	This is the fourth ahau.
	II.	The second ahau.
	XIII.	The thirteenth ahau; Pop was set in order.
	XI.	The eleventh ahau.
	IX.	The ninth ahau.
	VII.	The seventh ahau.
	V.	The fifth ahau.
	III.	The third ahau.
	I.	The first ahau.
	XII.	The twelfth ahau.
	X.	The tenth ahau; Chichen Itza was abandoned; at this time it took place that thirteen divisions of warriors went to Chakanputun for houses.

2.	VI.	The sixth ahau.
	IIII.	The fourth ahau; the land was taken in possession by those of Chakanputun.
	II.	The second ahau.
	XIII.	The thirteenth ahau.
	XI.	The eleventh ahau.
	IX.	The ninth ahau.
	VII.	The seventh ahau.
	V.	The fifth ahau.
	III.	The third ahau.
	I.	The first ahau.
	XII.	The twelfth ahau.
	X.	The tenth ahau.
	VIII.	The eighth ahau: Chakanputun was deserted by the men of Itza when they came in search of their houses for the second time; thirteen divisions of warriors dwelt in the houses at Chakanputun; in this katun those of Itza were under the trees, under the boughs, under the branches, to their misery.
3.	VI.	The sixth ahau.
	IV.	The fourth ahau.
	II.	The second ahau.
	XIII.	The thirteenth ahau.
	XI.	The eleventh ahau.
	IX.	The ninth ahau.
	VII.	The seventh ahau.
	V.	The fifth ahau.
	III.	The third ahau.
	I.	The first ahau.
	XII.	The twelfth ahau.
	X.	The tenth ahau.
	VIII.	The eighth ahau: the men of Itza were driven out of their houses a second time because of the plot of Hunac Ceel, because of the festivities with those of Itzmal; thirteen divisions of warriors dwelt there when they were driven out by Hunnac Ceel in order that those of Itza might know what was to be given.
4.	VI.	The sixth ahau.
	IIII.	The fourth ahau; the territory of the fortress of Mayapan was seized by the men of Itza as also the houses by those of Itzamal because of the plotting ---- of Hunnac Ceel.
Notes5.	II.	The second ahau.
	XIII.	The thirteenth ahau.
	XI.	The eleventh ahau.
	IX.	The ninth ahau.
	VII.	The seventh ahau.
	V.	The fifth ahau.
	III.	The third ahau.
	I.	The first ahau.
	XII.	The twelfth ahau.
	X.	The tenth ahau.
	VIII.	The eighth ahau: there was fighting in the fortress of Mayapan because of the seizure of the fortress and the fortified town by the joint government in the city of Mayapan.
Notes6.	VI.	The sixth ahau.
	IV.	The fourth ahau: the pestilence took place, the general death took place in the fortress.
	II.	The second ahau; the smallpox broke out.
Notes7.	XIII.	The thirteenth ahau; Ahpula died the sixth year; the count of the years was toward the east: (the month) Pop began on 4 Kan to the east ***** 9 Imix was the day on which Ahpula NapotXiu died in the year of the Lord 158.
8.	XI.	The eleventh ahau: the mighty men came from the East, they brought the sickness; they arrived for the first time in this country we Maya men say in the year 1513.
	IX.	The ninth ahau: Christianity began; baptism took place; also in this katun arrived bishop Toral here; also the hanging ceased in the year 1546.
	VII.	The seventh ahau; bishop Landa died.
	V.	The fifth ahau.
	III.	The third ahau.

NOTES.

Maya
EnglishThe writer states, in a brief introduction, the nature and purpose of his composition.

U kahlay, the record, or the memoir, from kahal, to remember. The concrete meaning of the root is “to know by sight, to recognize.” ɔiban, past participle, passive voice, of ɔib to write: the original signification of the word is “to paint.” Yoheltabal, passive form of ohel, to know, which is always conjugated with the pronominal prefixes, u, a, y. Yolah, syncopated form of u uolah, he wills, wishes, uol=volo, uolah=voluntas.

It will be noticed that this chronicle is not called an “arrangement” of the katuns, tzolan katun, but a count or reckoning of them, xocan or xocol, from xoc, to count.

Maya
English1. The count begins with the discovery of Chichen Itza, mentions that Pop was “counted in order” at the beginning of the next following Ahau Katun, and having stated the desertion of Chichen Itza and the migration to Chakanputun, the chronicler draws a line, as if to separate broadly these occurrences from those which followed.

Maya
English5. The distinction between paa and tulum appears to be that tulum is an enclosure surrounded by a defensive wall, and this wall itself; while paa is a castle, or, in Maya land, a mound or pyramid with buildings on it erected for purposes of defence.Maya
English6. Kakil nohkakil, the fire, the great fire, but here in the sense of a contagious febrile disease, probably the smallpox.

Maya
English7. The text in this section is corrupt, and I leave a line untranslated. The writer informs us, what was omitted in the previous chronicles, that the Ahpula whose death is so carefully mentioned by all, was a member of the Xiu family which reigned over the province of Mani. They were almost the first of the powerful Maya nobles to make friends with the Spaniards. The date 158 is apparently intended for 1538, or perhaps 1508, which is more consistent with the following section, but less so with the previous chronicles.

Kul uinicob, as remarked on page 133, means “the mighty men,” not the “holy men,” as generally translated. The term was applied to the Spaniards. The Dicc. de Motul MS. says:—“KULVINIC: muy hombre, hombre de respeto y de hecho, y llaman asÍ los Indios Á los EspaÑoles.” U yah talzah, they bring the sickness, probably the smallpox. Coon or con, 1st pers. pl. pres. indic. of the irregular verb cen (cihi, ciac), to say, to tell.

156-1 Canil.

157-1 uay.

157-2 chuytabe.

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